1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal developing equipment to be used while inserting thermal development photosensitive materials (hereafter often referred to as “photosensitive materials”) of various sizes at random.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thermal developing equipment is provided with a conveying unit for conveying a sheet-like photosensitive material and a heating unit for applying heat to the photosensitive material to be conveyed, thereby visualizing a latent image formed on an image forming layer of the photosensitive material. In this case, since the heating unit must apply heat uniformly in the width direction of the photosensitive material, it must be properly temperature managed. For example, in the heating unit, since there is some possibility that a difference in the temperature is generally caused between the center portion and the both end portions in the width direction of the photosensitive material, it is performed to make the temperature distribution of the whole uniform by dividing the heating unit into plural temperature control regions in the width direction of the photosensitive material and carrying out the temperature management in every region (for example, see JP-A-8-29954).
However, in the thermal developing equipment to be used while inserting photosensitive materials of various sizes at random in plural positions in the width direction of the photosensitive material, for example, the region through which the photosensitive material passes does not become constant. Accordingly, only by performing the foregoing simple temperature control in every region, there is encountered such a problem that it is impossible to stabilize the temperature control. The invention was carried out taking into consideration the foregoing circumstances.